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(No Model.)

J. M. PALMATIER.

LOW WATER DETEGTOR FUR STEAM BOILERS.

No. 308,979. Patented Dec. 9, 1884.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. PALMATIER, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

LOW-WATER DETECTOR FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,979, dated December 9, 1884.

Application filed March 18, 1884.

T 0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. PALMATIER, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lowater Detectors for Steam-Boilers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus in which the breaking of an electric circuit when the water in a boiler falls below the desired level will cause the ringing of a bell or sounding of an alarm located in an oi'fice or other place near to or remote from the boiler with which the apparatus is connected.

An important object of my invention is to dispense entirely with the use of floats to control the breaking of the electric circuit, and to effect the closing of the circuit by the water in a vessel which connnunicatcs with the boiler both above and below the normal water-level therein.

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a partly-sectional elevation of my apparatus applied to a boiler, a portion of the boiler only being shown. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the dotted line a of a vessel which communicates with the boiler above thewater-line, and in which closing or breaking'of the electric circuit is effected; and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A represents a portion of a boiler of any suitable character, here shown as having an upright side, and which, therefore, may be supposed to be an upright boiler. The boiler is supplied with the usual gage-cocks, a a a which may be of any suitable character, and the dotted line b designates the proper and safe water-level which it is desired to maintain.

B designates a closed metallic vessel external to the boiler and having a removable lid or cover, B, at one, in this case the lower, end.

0 designates a pipe, which connects the closed vessel B with the upper part or steamspace of the boiler, and O designates a second pipe, which connects the lower part of the vessel B with the portion of the boiler A at some considerable distance below the waterline b. In the pipes O G are cocks or valves (No model.)

0 0, whereby the passage through them may be controlled, and which may be closed when it is desired to detach the vessel B for any purposeas, for example, for repair or adjust ment, as hereinafter described.

I) designates an electric circuit in which is an electric battery, (2. In the circuit D is also included a relay-instrument, E, whereby is controlled the operation of a bell or other audible alarm apparatus, F, situated in a local circuit, G, in which is a battery, (1*, of suitable strength. One terminal, of the electric circuit D is connected with the pipe 0, and the other terminal, is connected with a conductor, which extends downward into the vessel B. As here represented, this conduetor consists o'fa light cylindric shell ortube, c, of. copper, having two upwardly-projecting stems, c c, with the latter otwhich the terminal is connected.

In order to prevent any electrical communication dircctlybetween the vessel B and the conductor 0, I form slight indentations or grooves 0* in its exterior, extending verti cally from end to end, and in these indentations I cement or otherwise secure a suitable number of small glass rods, f, which come between the inner wall of the vessel B and the cylindric shell or conductor 0 and prevent contact between them.

The cylindric conductor a may be insulated from the vessel B, by any of the well-known means employed for such purposes, the glass rods f being used simply to illustrate one form of such insulation.

The two rods or stems 0' 0 pass upward through the closed top of the vessel B and are insulated perfectly therefrom, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The upper portions of the rods or stems c c are preferably screw threaded, and pass through plugs or sleeves g of insulating material snugly fitted in the top of the vessel. To the rods or stems c 6-, above and below the said top of the vessel, are applied insulating The rods or stems c c'flwhere passing through the top of the vessel, may be adj ustably secured, insulated, and packed, to prevent leakage, by any suitable or weltknown means or devices, the plugs, washers, and nuts 9 g g serving as a sufficient illustration of such means.

\Vhen the water -level is at Z) in the boiler, the level of water in the closed vessel B will be nearly or quite the same, and when the conductor 0 is in the position shown in Fig. 1

it will be immersed to a considerable depth in the water, and the circuit D will be closed through the pipe 0, the water in the vessel 13, the conductor 0, and rod or stem 0", and consequently the hell or alarm apparatus F will not sound. \Vhen, however, the water in the boiler drops materially below the level Z), or to a pointwhich renders the depth of the immersion of the conductor 0 insut'ticient to maintain a closed circuit, the circuit 1) will be broken and the relay-instrument E will cause the sounding of the bell or audible alarm, which will continue until the water-level. is raised suiiiciently to close the circuit D.

It will be seen that my apparatus is very much more certain and reliable in its operation than apparatus controlled by a buoyant float, and hence by its use gives a measure of safety not realized with the use of an apparatus wherein a float is employed.

I am aware that it is not new to employ, in connection with a closed vessel connected with the water-space and steam-space of a steamboiler, a float which rises and falls with the level of water in said vessel, and serves through suitable levers or other connections to close an electric circuit and sound an alarm when there is low water in the boiler and a correspondingly low level in said vessel. 1 do not desire to include such a combination of parts in my invention; and an important object of my invention is to dispense with the use of 'iloats l'or indicating a low condition of water.

I am also aware that it is not new to employ, in connection with a closed vessel connected with the steam and water spaces of a steamboiler, an expansion-tube which is arranged horizontally in said vessel, and which will be elongated sufficiently to close an electric circnit when the water in said boiler and vessel falls so low that the tube is exposed to steam. I do not desire to cover by my claims any ex pansion-tube like that above described.

In my combinations of parts It depend on no float, which is uncertain of action, nor do I depend on any device which must become highly heated by steam at'ter thewater becomes low in order to become operative, and which requires nice adjustment of parts. One terminal of my electric circuit is connected with the vessel. The other terminal is C0ll nected with a conductor extending into the closed vessel. So long as the level of water in the boiler and vessel is normal the circuit remains closed through the water, which is in contact with the vessel and with the conductor within the vessel. 'When the water l'alls so low that its contact with he conductor is no longer suflicient to close the circuit, the latter is broken and an alarm is sounded. The making or breaking of the circuit is el'- 't'ected directly without the intervention of a float or thermostatic tube.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

It. The combination, with a steam-boiler and a closed vessel communicating with the steam and water spaces of the boiler, of an electric conductor extending within said vessel and insulated therefrom, an electric circuit having its terminals connected one with the said conductor and the other with said vessel, whereby the rise and fall of water in said vessel is made to directly close and break the electric circuit, and an alarm apparatus controlled by the breaking of said circuit by reason of the level of water falling relatively to the conductor in said vessel, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with a closed vessel connected with the steam and water spaces of a steam-boiler, of an electric conductor extending within and insulated from said vessel, and capable of adjustment to vary its downward projection into said vessel, an electric circuit having its terminals connected one with said conductor and the other with said vessel, whereby the rise and fall of water in said vessel is made to directly close and break the electric circuit, and an alarm apparatus controlled by the breaking of said circuit by reason of the level of water falling relatively to the conductor in said vessel, substantially as herein described.

The combination, with a steam-boiler and a closed vessel communicating with the steam and water spaces of theboiler, of a con ductor extending into said vessel and insulated therefrom, an electric circuit containing a battery and a relay and having its terminals connected one with said vessel and the other with said insulated conductor, whereby the circuit will be closed and broken directly by the water rising and t'alling relatively to the conductor in said closed vessel, and a second electric circuit controlled by said relay and containing an audible alarm apparatus, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with a closed vessel, lli, ota pipe, 0, extending from its upper portion, and to be connected with the steam-space of a steam-boiler, a pipe, (1, extending from its lower portion and to be connected with the water-space ot' the boiler, a conductor, a, consisting of a metallic cylinder or shell arranged within and out of electric contact with the said vessel, and a rod, 0, extending upward from said conductor 0 through the top of the vessel and insulated from the vessel, substantially as and for the urpose herein described.

Witnesses:

(J. HALL, FREDK. Hxvxns.

I} M. PALM A T lllli 

